Guys, I have never played an actual game of D&D and all of my friends want to play a game. Does anyone have any advice on how to actually start this shit without getting bogged down in learning the rules and everything?
Guys, I have never played an actual game of D&D and all of my friends want to play a game...
Jace Wright
Nicholas Hall
Are you the GM? If not, read the player's handbook and go with it.
Carson Martin
Yea, I will be the GM.
None of them have really played the game either so its probably going to be a not so serious game in terms of following rules.
Parker Brown
man up and learn the rules, pussy. you won't enjoy it otherwise
Jayden Collins
Play Dungeon World instead, it's much better than D&D and the rules are free at www.dungeonworldsrd.com.
Lucas Fisher
Read the fucking book.
Gabriel Cox
>I will be the GM
You will be the one most responsible for knowing (and wholly responsible for arbitrating) the rules. There isn't really a way to do this without learning the rules, unless you want to say you're playing D&D but actually just make up everything as you go.
I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but it's not playing D&D.
Oliver Bennett
Adventure Call is basically D&D, you'll be fine.
Cameron Thompson
just start with simple numbers and rolls to get a basic understanding of playing, then read the books and think of a real campaign.
Aaron Robinson
I think that going with something rules-light, at least to start out with, is a pretty good idea. It means you can spend less time bogged down in the rules, themselves, and more time figuring out how to GM from the perspective of group management, storytelling (narrating shit, that is) and actual role-playing. Some have complained that rules-light games give you less guidance on how to GM, but I really think that playing pretend comes pretty naturally to people (though it may take a bit to find your bearings and get comfortable with it). Also, there's only but so much new stuff you can focus on at the same time, so having lighter rules and letting you find your own way can be a good thing. Also, most important tips about GMing aren't game specific, so you can poke around the internet and flip through some other games and pick up tips that way, if you need to.
Anyway, here's Barbarians of Lemuria, a rules-light swords & sorcery game that is much simpler than the current edition of D&D (which is, in turn, a streamlined compared to the editions immediately preceding it). It, or something like it, could work well for you since you're learning a game with your friends (instead of trying to find a pre-existing group of knowledgeable players, where system popularity is a deciding factor).
>Barbarians of Lemuria,Mythic Edition (current edition) -- mediafire.com
>Barbarians of Lemuria, Legendary Edition (earlier edition, shorter but not as refined) --mediafire.com
>Barbarians of Lemuria, House Rules / Patches for Legendary Edition (if you want minimalism of Legendary, but with the rules tightened up) -- mega.co.nz
Jeremiah Reed
There's a quick-start set. It's very helpful for getting the basics down
James Hall
Not if it's specifically D&D you want.
Isaac Sanchez
This is a good streamlining of D&D to the brass tacks. You'd need to borrow monsters and magical treasure from elsewhere, and power levels are going to vary according to the edition, but it's largely self-correcting, as you can feel out the power level of the party as they progress through the levels and pick their challenges accordingly. I suggest looking at Moldvay Basic D&D (B/X) for such things, since it's streamlined and unadorned, which should make it easier to apply (see the OSR thread and follow the link in the opening post to the Trove, then look under TSR / '81 Basic). Also, Moldvay Basic, itself, is the simplest edition of D&D (OD&D is shorter, but more confusing), so it's not a bad place to start on its own.
You could also check out the 1st edition AD&D (1e) Monster Manual, if you just wanted monsters.
Eli Martin
Oh, I should mention that Here's Some Fuckin' D&D uses ascending AC, so you either want to convert the descending ACs in Basic / AD&D (just subtract them from 20 to do so, or use this table, if you prefer*), or get your monsters from a retroclone which has already done the work for you. Basic Fantasy is a retroclone of Moldvay Basic which does exactly that. The beastiary is in the rulebook, itself, just like it is for Moldvay Basic.
*Ignore the THAC0 to Attack Bonus table in the pic, as Here's Some Fuckin' D&D already uses an Attack Bonus system (which is the reason why you need to convert AC from descending to ascending).
Sebastian Sullivan
Start with D&D and don't listen to the whiners. You will be able to learn any other RPG after that. D&D is stupid simple in it's core concepts and it's popularity makes it a baseline for RPGs in general.
Just get the pickrelated, flip through the guide booklets, learn on the go later.
Austin Gonzalez
Yeah, all of this may seem a bit daunting to a noob, but it's still gonna be a lot easier than running 5e, the current edition.
Christopher Rodriguez
>D&D is stupid simple
It's really not. 5e isn't a terrible place to start, but don't pretend it's anything less than rules-medium. There are much simpler games out there.
Christian James
>D&D is stupid simple in it's core concepts
and a horrible mess in its execution.
>it's popularity makes it a baseline for RPGs in general.
That doesn't even make any sense.
Ethan Campbell
>That doesn't even make any sense.
He's saying it's the standard against which other shit is measured, which, like it or not, is largely true. Of course, it's also the wellspring from which all other role-playing games on the market ultimately flowed, so that plays into things too. This is as much a curse as a blessing for the game though, as it leads to people trying to apply the system outside its relatively narrow ideal niche.
Luke Cooper
...
Michael Ross
Risus is a pretty good option if you're okay with a silly game. The rules are only a handful of pages.
Parker Perez
Hijacking, how does Barbarians of Lemuria compare to Dungeon World in easiness for a first time GM?
Grayson Cooper
>Hijacking, how does Barbarians of Lemuria compare to Dungeon World in easiness for a first time GM?
I'd say go with BoL, as I think DW works better with folks who already have their bearings, fantasy RPG-wise. Others may disagree though.
Colton Baker
Unless the people playing already have some experience with fantasy RPGs, and D&D in particular, that is. At that point, it really just depends on what you're looking for.
Jayden Cruz
Here's another light D&D-ish game. I actually came here to post Here's Some Fuckin' D&D, and was happy to see I'm not the only one posting and recommending it anymore.
This edition comes with absolute craploads of hacks and derivatives, but the original rules are just a few pages and a game can be set up in minutes if you at least have ideas about the world you want to present.
I'd suggest picking any of the lightweights mentioned ITT and playing adventures in different ones, increasing in complexity as you go, until you and your players like something enough to want a lasting campaign.
Elijah Wilson
> Does anyone have any advice on how to actually start this shit without getting bogged down in learning the rules and everything?
If you're the GM, you are expected to pick up the book and fucking read. If you can't be expected to read a book, you can't be expected to manage a campaign with notes.
If you don't want to read D&D's rules, choose a different system.
If you don't want to be responsible for learning rules at all, tell someone else to be the GM.
If nobody is willing to pick up that book and read, then you're at an impasse. Find someone to GM for you or stick to wow or x-box.